Associates or Bachelors?

Nursing Students ADN/BSN

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Can anyone tell me the major differences between an associates degree and a bachelors degree? I realize the bachelors requires more schooling and more job opportunities.

Jobwise is what I mean. Can you still aquire a job at a hospital with an associates? Is it better to continue education and earn your bachelors?

Thanks everyone, for answering. The person who told me was a former RN student, but didn't finish the program. She said that she thought this was the case back in the mid 90's.... I let her know that it doesn't matter ADN or BSN.

Thanks everyone for your replies!

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Great answer! It really depends upon the goals of each individual person

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm

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Specializes in Everything!.

Personally I would go all the way for the BSN b/c having to go back to "school mode" as one is already older than the average college student is hard enough. Just go all the way through the extra couple years. If you know that you want to do nurse management or teaching then it only seems logical.

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.
Is it true that ADN's cannot hang IV medication? Someone told me this was the only difference with BSN vs. ADN trained nurses...

Please clarify... thanks!

Not true. RNs hang IV meds, and LPNs who are IV Certified hang IV meds.:specs:

Thanks everyone, for answering. The person who told me was a former RN student, but didn't finish the program. She said that she thought this was the case back in the mid 90's.... I let her know that it doesn't matter ADN or BSN.

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I've been a RN since 1987, and know for a fact that RNs hung IV meds in the mid 90's...irregardless of their educational pathway to nursing. Education is just that.....education. Passing the NCLEX is how the educated graduates of nursing programs obtain a license to practice as registered nurses. THAT has NOT ever changed. :specs:

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in my area physician's assistants go to school as long as ADN programs and make less money and have less opprotunity to advance their career (from what i've heard).

Sorry, I know this is off-topic....but REALLY!??

In Oregon PA programs are either Bachelors or Masters programs and the average starting salary is about $65,000.

Maybe I'm misreading your post, though.....

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That's amazing to me that there is only three courses difference between a BSN and an ADN in Texas. I would feel ripped off if I were an ADN nurse and bite the bullet and take those three classes even if I wasn't interested in those areas of nursing.

When I took the ADN to BSN route it was a 15 course difference.

It's the same in OR, too. The only difference (besides $$$$$) between the ASN and the BSN is 3 additional nursing courses, epidemiology, statistics, and an upper division arts and letters requirement. The rest of the curriculum is the same, as are the clinical hours.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
It's the same in OR, too. The only difference (besides $$$$$) between the ASN and the BSN is 3 additional nursing courses, epidemiology, statistics, and an upper division arts and letters requirement. The rest of the curriculum is the same, as are the clinical hours.

That amazes me that there's only 15 credit hours difference. Is it NLN approved? Because what about things like Community Health, Research, Leadership.....all these are taught in the ADN program.

Here the clinical hours are the same as well.

What a ripoff for the ADN's to work so hard to recieve a "two year degree". On the otherhand getting the BSN would be a breeze after that.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Sorry, I know this is off-topic....but REALLY!??

In Oregon PA programs are either Bachelors or Masters programs and the average starting salary is about $65,000.

*** Sure, you can become a PA with an associates degree. When I was a medic in the army almost all the PAs I worked with had associates degrees. Go here:http://www.aapa.org/pgmview.php3?state=CA

Scroll down, you will see several community college PA programs. Other states have them as well. FL and MI among others I think.

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That amazes me that there's only 15 credit hours difference. Is it NLN approved? Because what about things like Community Health, Research, Leadership.....all these are taught in the ADN program.

Here the clinical hours are the same as well.

What a ripoff for the ADN's to work so hard to recieve a "two year degree". On the otherhand getting the BSN would be a breeze after that.

Yes, both the ASN and BSN programs are completely NLN approved and accredited. The university BSN program that works in conjunction with my CC in Oregon Health and Sciences University. Nursing education is being standardized throughout the Oregon university and community college system through OCNE (http://www.ocne.org), which is GREAT for the future on nursing education. The prereq's are the same for both programs (as long as you have a high enough math level to take statistics; most ASN students do) and it is just 3 more terms to go from ASN to BSN. The only real problem is that those extra 15-18 credit hours cost a LOT....at least to me; about $350/credit hour + books, fees (which are insanely expensive), etc.

So, for now at least, I'm sticking with my "2 year degree," LOL! And yeah, it's funny that it's referred to as that since I've been working on pre-req's for the last 18 months (6 terms), full time (15+ credits/term)!

Oh, and those 3 additional nursing courses ARE leadership/management, community health, and research, etc. they are not covered in the ASN program....at least I don't think they are; I am pretty sure that those are the BSN level nursing courses. I'm not applying until this fall, so I'm not 100% sure on the actual syllabus; and, as this is a new educational paradigm, it may be revised.

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*** Sure, you can become a PA with an associates degree. When I was a medic in the army almost all the PAs I worked with had associates degrees. Go here:http://www.aapa.org/pgmview.php3?state=CA

Scroll down, you will see several community college PA programs. Other states have them as well. FL and MI among others I think.

Very interesting! In Oregon, they are only Master's level programs. It kind of amazed me that there are Associates Degree for PA because they actually do diagnostic and treatment....they must have one hell of a pre-req list!!

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Very interesting! In Oregon, they are only Master's level programs. It kind of amazed me that there are Associates Degree for PA because they actually do diagnostic and treatment....they must have one hell of a pre-req list!!

*** The degree granted no more reflects the qualiety of education for PAs than it does for RNs. Here is the pre-req list for San Joaquin Valley College, they have an associates degree PA program as well as an ADN RN program. The re-reqs look just like those for most community college nursing programs.

In addition the the pre-reqs below associates degree PA programs require at least 2000 hours of direct patient care experience, unlike the masters programs that allow a person to go directly from high school, to college to PA school without ever having toutched a patient.

GPA of 2.5 or higher on all required pre-PA courses. Successful completion of prerequisite science courses should be with a grade of "B" or better. A minimum of 3 semester or 4 quarter units is required for each of the following courses or equivalent:

  • College Algebra or higher
  • Speech
  • English reading & composition
  • General Chemistry with lab
  • General Microbiology with lab

  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Introduction to Sociology or Cultural Anthropology
  • Human Anatomy with lab
  • Human Physiology with lab

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*** The degree granted no more reflects the qualiety of education for PAs than it does for RNs. Here is the pre-req list for San Joaquin Valley College, they have an associates degree PA program as well as an ADN RN program. The re-reqs look just like those for most community college nursing programs.

In addition the the pre-reqs below associates degree PA programs require at least 2000 hours of direct patient care experience, unlike the masters programs that allow a person to go directly from high school, to college to PA school without ever having toutched a patient.

GPA of 2.5 or higher on all required pre-PA courses. Successful completion of prerequisite science courses should be with a grade of “B” or better. A minimum of 3 semester or 4 quarter units is required for each of the following courses or equivalent:

  • College Algebra or higher
  • Speech
  • English reading & composition
  • General Chemistry with lab
  • General Microbiology with lab

  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Introduction to Sociology or Cultural Anthropology
  • Human Anatomy with lab
  • Human Physiology with lab

Again, interesting. The pre-req list for my ASN program is much more substantial than that. It goes to show that standardizing health care across all fields would be greatly beneficial.

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